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Bale Praised By FBI Agent's Family

Christian Bale has been praised for his performance in Public Enemies by the family of the real life FBI agent he portrays in the new movie.

The British actor plays Agent Melvin Purvis, the man who tracked down legendary 1930s bank robber John Dillinger, who is portrayed by Johnny Depp in the movie.

Bale spent time with Purvis' relatives in preparation for the role and even visited the late law enforcer's grave with his son Alston.

And Alston is delighted with the on-screen results.

He says, "Bale had my father's mannerisms and accent down to the exact detail. He is a superb actor. He wanted to see my family home in South Carolina. We went to the cemetery to see my father's grave."

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Weaver: 'I will not be in Ghostbusters 3'

Sigourney Weaver has confirmed that she will not be starring in Ghostbusters 3.

The actress revealed in an interview with TV Squad that she will not reteam with original cast members Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis to portray Dana Barrett for the forthcoming update, SciFiSquad.com reports.

She said: "No, I don't expect to have anything to do with it, although I wish them well. I just did a benefit with Bill and we love working together, but I think they're trying to create something new completely with the Ghostbusters, although I know Bill is in it.

"I hope my little son Oscar [from Ghostbusters II] is a Ghostbuster!"

Weaver also passed on lending her voice to the recently released video game based on the 1984 film.


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'Star Trek' writers 'debating sequel plot'

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have been in discussion over the story for the Star Trek sequel, it has been reported.

The screenwriters, who previously admitted that they were scouring through novels based on the franchise, are now contemplating gathering ideas from the original series, Sci Fi Wire reports.

Orci said: "The debate is do you do a story where you go through some familiar things from the series, but now their outcome can be a little bit different, or do you just make it totally new?

"So we'll see. The best idea wins, original or old."

Kurtzman added: "We just had our first 10-minute conversation the other day. We don't have anything yet. I wish we had more to tell you. I think we're really, really pleased to find that, for the most part, the die-hard fans felt that they connected to the material the way they wanted to.

"So I think that enabled us to take a similar approach, which is to say you have to find a way to give everyone a little bit of something, because people will meet you in the middle."

The pair are also attached to pen the project Cowboys And Aliens, which they will work on before the sci-fi follow-up.

Star Trek grossed £70.9m worldwide in its opening weekend.


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Jackson 'wanted role in Mamma Mia!'

Samuel L. Jackson has admitted that he wanted a role in the movie Mamma Mia!.

The Pulp Fiction star revealed that even though his friend Phyllida Lloyd directed the film version of the hit stage play, he was unaware of its production until shooting had been completed, Contactmusic reports.

He said: "I missed that because a friend of mine actually directed Mamma Mia! and I didn't know it until I saw her last year at the British Film Awards and they won all of these awards.

"I would have called to be in Mamma Mia!. I'm a huge Abba fan."

Last November, the flick’s star Meryl Streep said that she would be interested in starring in a follow-up to the blockbuster.

Jackson is currently filming Iron Man 2 as Nick Fury.


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Weaver: 'Ripley could take on Dirty Harry'

Sigourney Weaver has revealed that she feels honoured that her Lt. Ellen Ripley character is so well-received by moviegoers.

The actress’s big screen alter-ego from the Alien franchise was recently named the top female in science fiction, while she admitted her affinity for the role to TV Squad, says SciFiSquad.com.

She said: "I was very pleased that MTV named her the second biggest badass in movie history, although I think she could take on Dirty Harry. That was cool. And it is the 30th anniversary of the first film.

"I love Ellen Ripley. She was a fascinating person to play in each incarnation and a great opportunity for a young actor."

Weaver also said that she finds the reported Alien prequel to be an "interesting idea". 20th Century Fox claimed that it will only commit to the update if original director Ridley Scott helms it.

She added: "I hope if they do something new, they will encompass the idea of where the alien first came from, because I think that's an interesting idea -- to find out what happened and 'how did it get to us?'"

However, the star ruled out a return to the role, saying: "I feel we did four good movies, and I'm content with that."

Weaver recently confirmed that she will not be on board for Ghostbusters 3. She has, however, reteamed with Aliens director James Cameron for the 3D sci-fi film Avatar, arriving in cinemas on December 18.


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Emma Watson: 'I may not act again'

Emma Watson has said that she is not sure if she wants to continue being an actress when she grows up.

The 19-year-old told Teen Vogue that it would require a role as attractive as her part in the Harry Potter series to get her back in front of the camera.

Watson said: "There's not, like, a burning passion in me that I have to act and I don't care what I do.

"Until something comes along that I feel as strongly about as I did Hermione - like, I felt that it was life or death - I don't want to act again."

The star also said that she wants "anonymity" when she goes to university to study English Literature and Art.


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Efron to star in, exec produce thriller

Zac Efron has reportedly signed on to star in and executive produce an untitled thriller for Mandate Pictures.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project will see Efron reunited with his Hairspray screenwriter Leslie Dixon, who has been tapped to pen the script.

Details about the plot are being kept under wraps, but the trade paper described the movie as a "sexy thriller".

The 17 Again star will executive produce alongside Mandate's Nathan Kahane. Greg Shapiro, Jason Barrett and Dixon will produce.

No director or production details have been announced yet.


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Daniel Crag in talks for 'Dream House'

Daniel Craig is in discussions to star in Jim Sheridan's psychological thriller Dream House, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Written by David Loucka, the story centres on a man (Craig) who uproots his family to a rural town. Problems arise when they realise that their house is haunted and discover that the previous residents were murdered there.

Craig recently appeared in his second Bond adventure Quantum Of Solace and World War II film Defiance. He can next be seen in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn.

Irish filmmaker Sheridan is the director of Get Rich or Die Tryin', In America and The Boxer. His next movie Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, is out in cinemas next year.


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Heigl to lead 'Life As We Known It'

Katherine Heigl will star in Warner Bros's romantic drama Life As We Know It, says Variety.

The 27 Dresses actress has been cast as a woman who is named as a joint guardian for her friends' daughter when the couple die in a car crash.

Greg Berlanti (TV's Brothers And Sisters) will direct from a script by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson.

Barry Josephson and Paul Brooks are producing Life As We Know It, with Heigl and her mother Nancy Heigl serving as executive producers.

Heigl can next be seen in romcom The Ugly Truth opposite Gerard Butler.


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Jeffs: 'Tonight' like a 'Knocked Up' sequel

Christine Jeffs has revealed that her planned romcom Wonderful Tonight is like a sequel to Knocked Up.

Sunshine Cleaning director Jeffs told DS that her project follows on from where Judd Apatow's 2007 comedy finished.

"I guess it picks up where Knocked Up left off," she said. "It's not really about the pregnancy, it's about the relationship."

Jeffs also said that she is working on a "passion project", a movie adaptation of Jane Smiley's novel Horse Heaven.

"It's an ensemble piece set against the backdrop of the horse racing world," she explained. "It is funny and has beautiful characters. I've been working on Horse Heaven for a very long time, many years."


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Loncraine replaces Morgan on 'Relationship'

Peter Morgan has dropped out of directing The Special Relationship, the HBO Films/BBC Films project he scripted about the alliance forged between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton in the late '90s.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morgan will remain "integrally involved in every aspect of the production" as writer and executive producer. Richard Loncraine (Firewall, Wimbledon) has replaced him in the director's chair.

Michael Sheen will play the former UK Prime Minister for the third time in The Special Relationship, joined by Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton, Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton and Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair.

The movie begins production in London on July 20.


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Cast assembles for Spacey's 'Invention'

Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville and Camilla Belle have joined the cast of Kevin Spacey's Father Of Invention.

The movie revolves around a billionaire inventor who spends eight years behind bars when one of his creations goes wrong. After finishing his prison stint, he strives to rebuild his relationship with his family.

Robinson will portray the new husband of Spacey's character's ex-wife, while Graham has been cast as the lesbian flatmate of Spacey's daughter (Belle). Jackass's Knoxville will star as a store owner who employs the lead character after his sentence is up.

Trent Cooper is directing the movie from a script he co-wrote with Jonathan Kane.


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Depp: 'Dark Shadows is happening'

Johnny Depp has confirmed that the movie Dark Shadows should begin filming next year.

The Public Enemies star said that he and Tim Burton will collaborate again for the big screen adaptation of the supernatural-based '60s soap opera, which ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971.

He told Collider: "Dark Shadows is happening. Tim is working on Alice In Wonderland which is obviously quite a large piece of work there.

"So when Tim is done with Alice and we get the script, which is very, very close, in order we’ll probably attack it next year."

Depp described playing vampire Barnabas Collins is "a lifelong dream", saying: "It’s exciting, very exciting... I loved the show when I was a kid. I was obsessed with Barnabas Collins. I have photographs of me holding Barnabas Collins posters when I was five or six."

Dark Shadows will mark the eighth teaming between the actor and director, with latest collaboration Alice In Wonderland opening in cinemas on March 5, 2010.

Depp recently said that he would be interested in playing The Riddler in the next Batman film.


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Britney Spears to star in WWII movie?

Britney Spears has been offered a role in a movie set during World War II, reports say.

The 'Circus' singer is said to be up for the part of Sophia LaMont in The Yellow Star of Sophia Eton, OnTheFlix.com reports.

The story would revolve around her character building a time machine to travel back to the 1940s, where she falls in love with a Jewish man named Eton in a concentration camp and attempts to bring him back to the present day.

Spears’s last film role was in 2002's Crossroads.

It was recently announced that the popstar is to tour Australia for the first time.


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Collins talks 'Trek', 'Thor', 'Inception'

After starring as Romulan villain Ayel in Star Trek, Clifton Collins Jr is back in cinemas this Friday playing one-armed store owner Winston in Sunshine Cleaning. While talking to Clifton about Christine Jeffs's comedy drama, DS got engaged in sci-fi speak to find out about his Trek experience, possibly (probably!) working with "badass" Kenneth Branagh on Thor and getting down to the wire for a role in Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

How was the Star Trek experience for you? Were you a big Trekkie growing up?
"I wasn't a big Trekkie and most of cast was not, albeit we were all very familiar with Star Trek because it's part of Americana. You don't need to be a Trekkie to love this movie. If anything you get a bigger appreciation because as kids you don't pay attention to the complete backstory. In this one you get slices of everybody's story and who they are and how they got there. It's a fun, fun ride. One of the beauties of what J.J. [Abrams] did with this is that you're able to get the whole thing, nostalgia incorporated. You get to see characters both old and young. To sit there and listen to Mr Nimoy speak, it was such a joy, I can't describe it to you. It was very dreamlike."

How did you feel about getting thrown to your death by Chris Pine?
"I'd like to say that maybe I slipped! I was choking the f**k out of Captain Kirk when something went wrong. I think I forgot to tie my Romulan laces or something. I heard some kind of laser gun go off but that was just in my mind."

Are you annoyed that you can't come back for the sequel?
"Not necessarily. I think a lot of people forget there's a giant ass time machine in this movie. I'm like, 'Wait a minute. Spock can come back and I can't come back! Why?'"

You worked with J.J. Abrams on Alias, did you see something in him back then that made you think he'd make it as a big-time director?
"Without question. His sensitivity to actors and scenarios and just his general love for filmmaking. His passion, the way he speaks about it, he's got all the love and all the tools to be brilliant. You look at Alias and Lost, he's going to do another Mission: Impossible. Look at what he did with Cloverfield, he's really an ingenious filmmaker."

You mentioned Thor recently on your Twitter page. What's happening with that?
"Hmmm, Thor, I don't know [laughs]. That's kind of where I have to leave it unfortunately. Everybody asks, it's just something that's very hush-hush."

Did you go back and do some research with the old Marvel Comics?
"There's a lot of fun stuff in Thor based on the comic book and Celtic folklore, history and stuff like that. For me, doing that kind of research... I love doing any kind of research. It's like going back to history class, I didn't do well at history so now's the chance to redeem myself."

It sounds like a very different type of superhero film, whether you're in it or not.
"It's going to be great. It's Kenneth Branagh at the helm, he's a badass."

You were also up for a part in Christopher Nolan's Inception?
"That didn't work out but I definitely made the final round. I bumped into Leo [DiCaprio] over that weekend and we had a really good talk about it. I'd love to work with Leo - at some point we will, I've known him a long time. Chris Nolan, he's a director I've had my eye on since Memento. He's such a gifted filmmaker, he can do the action films but there's such an artistry to it."

Was he very tight-lipped about it - I don't think anyone knows anything about Inception.
"I do know quite a bit about it because of Leo but the screenplay is hush-hush. Even for me taking a meeting I had very little to work on. As an actor, the challenge lies within figuring it out and putting the puzzle together to create something to bite on."


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Depp supporting 'Jump Street' movie

Johnny Depp has branded Jonah Hill's proposed movie adaptation of 21 Jump Street as a "great idea".

The Superbad star recently announced that he was penning a big screen version of the police drama and was hoping to recruit original series member Depp for a guest appearance.

Speaking to MTV News, Depp said: "Absolutely [I would make a cameo]. It'd be hilarious. If we find the right thing to do, it could be very funny."

Depp starred in the US show from 1987 until 1990, playing undercover officer Tom Hanson, a character whose youthful looks enabled him to infiltrate schools and colleges.

He recently admitted that he was also interested in portraying the Riddler in a future Batman movie, saying: "If the opportunity came, I'd definitely juggle it. I always liked [him]."


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'Transformers 2' racks up record $16 million in Wednesday midnight shows

Paramount was looking for bigger with Michael Bay's highly anticipated Transformers sequel and it looks like they've got it. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen debuted to a record $16 million last night, the most ever for a Wednesday midnight run. (Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight scored $18 million for its midnight run last year, but that was on a Friday.)

So how high will Transformers 2's grosses go this weekend? Predictions have ranged anywhere from $125 million to $160 million for the five-day frame. Whatever the number, it will be good news for the box office, which is having trouble maintaining last summer's record draw. Check back here tomorrow for more detailed predictions in the Box Office Preview.


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2010 Oscars to have 10 Best Picture nominees

I wasn't planning on resuscitating this blog until September, but with news this huge, I'll gladly make an exception. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it will name 10 Best Picture nominees next year instead of five. Yes, that's right: TEN Best Picture nominees! "After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year," said AMPAS president Sid Ganis. "The final outcome, of course, will be the same—one Best Picture winner—but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009." In the '30s and '40s the Academy recognized between 8 and 12 Best Picture nominees each year.

Several groups, like the Broadcast Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, and the American Film Institute, have already been listing 10 best films of the year instead of five. And with the Oscars now doing the same, I'd say this could really help the chances of some more commercially popular films, which are often edged out of the running by typical "Academy films" like The Reader or Frost/Nixon. Certainly The Dark Knight and WALL•E would have made a top 10 Academy list this year—will we now see Up and Star Trek on the Oscar ballot?


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Banderas: 'Sex scenes make me uneasy'

Antonio Banderas has admitted that sex scenes make him uneasy.

The 'Evita' star said that ever since he turned 50, he has become "wary" of taking on roles that require him to be intimate with an actress, The New York Post reports.

He said: "It's always uneasy when you get into bed with a woman on screen - it's difficult because you have 50 people around and there are some people who are sensitive to that.

"At the same time, I'm nearly 50-years-old, and even I start getting more wary of those scenes."

He added: "Everything changes as you get older - your mind, your body, the way you view the world."

It was recently announced that Banderas will provide the voice for the titular feline in Shrek spinoff film Puss In Boots.


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Depp continues to fuel 'Batman' rumours

Johnny Depp has continued to fuel speculation that he will play the part of the Riddler in an upcoming Batman movie.

The actor was first linked to the role last year and recently confirmed that he was always fond of the comic book character.

Depp, who stars in current release Public Enemies alongside Batman's Christian Bale, told Entertainment Tonight: "I don't know, I've been asked about it here and there.

"I'd love to do another film with Christian in any capacity, whether it's a Batman thing or whatever it is, I certainly loved the series."

Other stars rumoured to be appearing in the sequel to The Dark Knight include Eddie Murphy and Shia LaBeouf.


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